Is Your Text Messaging Service HIPAA Compliant?

Two issues are contributing to the increased use of texting between dentists and dental labs: the cultural change in the way technology drives the need to share information and the reality that texting is the most efficient and effective way to communicate digitally,” says Arnold Rosen, DDS, Founder and CEO of Awrel, a HIPAA-compliant, cloud-based texting application (www.awrel.com).  

But texters beware: using the native text-messaging app on your smartphone presents a risk if you’re sharing protected health information (PHI). Dentists and labs are both required by HIPAA to protect PHI. “If a device is lost, stolen or hacked, the result can be the violation of a federal law and the...